How Delhi should deal with Myanmar

Foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla’s engagements during a two-day visit to Myanmar were clearly in line with India’s two-pronged strategy for dealing with the neighbouring country while keeping strategic and security interests related to the North-east near the top of the agenda. Thus, Mr Shringla made a push with the military junta for restoring the democratic process following the February 1 coup that has unleashed a cycle of violence across Myanmar, while also raising the impact of instability in Myanmar on India’s North-east states, including a pointed mention of the November 13 ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy by militant groups that have for long had bases in the neighbouring nation. To drive home India’s expectations regarding the restoration of democracy, Mr Shringla sought a meeting with deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, though it was no surprise that this request was denied.

India believes the instability in Myanmar has to be dealt with in cooperation with Myanmar’s military. Any move that puts too much pressure on the military junta, which has repeatedly shrugged off Western sanctions despite their impact on the people, could drive the generals closer to China.

At a time when Asean’s five-point consensus formula hasn’t yielded much success and unity within the Southeast Asian bloc over Myanmar is fraying, India will have to resort to deft diplomacy to secure its national security interests and keep pushing the military junta to work for faster restoration of the democratic process in the interest of the people of Myanmar.